syria withdrawal

A Kurdish official confirmed that U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish forces had completed their withdrawal from the region

"I trusted them with my life ... I fought with these guys and watched them die for us."

Erdogan agreed on Thursday in talks with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence a five-day pause in the offensive to allow time for the Kurdish fighters to withdraw from a "safe zone" Turkey aims to establish in northeast Syria near the Turkish border.

Russia-backed Syrian forces wasted no time in taking advantage of an abrupt U.S. retreat from Syria on Monday, deploying deep inside Kurdish-held territory south of the Turkish frontier less than 24 hours after Washington announced a full withdrawal

As of Sunday, President Trump had not ordered all US troops to withdraw from Syria.

America's Kurdish allies will now find themselves at the mercy of Erdoğan, a man who labeled "the world's largest stateless nation" as a terrorist insurgency that threatens his iron fist.

"This policy abandonment threatens to undo five years' worth of fighting against ISIS and will severely damage American credibility and reliability in any future fights where we need strong allies"

Hundreds of members of the U.S. Congress signed a letter to President Donald Trump on Monday arguing that the United States should remain engaged with the conflict in Syria, saying they were "deeply concerned" about extremist groups in the country

The Pentagon's chief spokesman wouldn't confirm that the last battle for ISIS territory is still going on.

The words "plan" and "decisions" allow defense officials to play all sorts of rhetorical games about the Syria withdrawal.

The operation to take ISIS last enclave in eastern Syria looked close to an end on Wednesday, with no sign of clashes as U.S.-backed fighters said they were combing the area for hidden jihadists

Iran and Syria on Monday demanded the United States withdraw its troops from Syria, and the Damascus government threatened to defeat Washington's Kurdish allies by force if they did not submit to the return of state authority

ISIS is down to its last few hundred fighters and less than a square kilometer of land in a battle for its final Syrian stronghold, although it may have 15,000-20,000 armed adherents in Syria and Iraq, U.S. envoy James Jeffrey said on Friday

"We will see low level attacks. We'll see assassinations. We'll see IED attacks. We'll see ambush-type things as they begin to emerge from this."

The general overseeing U.S. forces in the Middle East said on Thursday that he was under no pressure to withdraw forces from Syria by any specific date, after President Donald Trump ordered the drawdown of most U.S. troops from Syria

U.S. troops will remain along Syria's border with Turkey and at the al-Tanf garrison

"I am now your adversary, not your friend."

The Islamic State appeared closer to defeat in its last enclave in eastern Syria on Wednesday, as a civilian convoy left the besieged area where U.S.-backed forces estimate a few hundred jihadists are still holed up

A U.S.-backed militia has sent trucks to the edge of Islamic State's dwindling territory in eastern Syria to evacuate hundreds of civilians as well as surrendering fighters, many of them foreign-born, commanders said Tuesday

The United States should keep arming and aiding the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces following the planned U.S. withdrawal from Syria, provided the group keeps up the pressure on ISIS

U.S.-led coalition warplanes struck Islamic State's last stronghold in eastern Syria and hundreds of civilians fled the besieged enclave on Monday as U.S.-backed fighters pressed their campaign to seize it

The United States is likely just weeks away from starting the withdrawal of ground troops from Syria ordered by President Donald Trump, the top U.S. commander overseeing American forces in the Middle East said on Sunday

Holding Islamic State suspects at Guantanamo is still a viable option, Trump administration officials say on the heels of a U.S. appeal to other nations to take home their nationals who are among 700 suspected foreign fighters held by a U.S. ally militia in Syria.

Rep. Seth Moulton was one of several veterans currently serving in Congress who picked apart the president's rationale for leaving Syria and Afghanistan

Pompeo — addressing foreign ministers and other senior officials from 79 countries that have worked alongside the United States in fighting the militant group in Syria and Iraq — said Islamic State remained a menace.